Wipe out opponents - not good English Smt. Sonia!!

Smt. Sonia Gandhi has asked her party workers to wipe out opponents. I was a bit shocked when I read this headline in TOI. A thought process started. With what mindset a person will use this language? Smt. Sonia has made this statement in connection with state assembly polls in UP, slated early next year.

Is election a battle which can be won only when all opponents are wiped out? Is winning an election is the end of the battle, the ultimate aim of a person or a political party? My answers to all such questions is a big NO. Election is not a battle. It is a process thorough which people elect their representatives. It is nothing more than a process. After he election, these peoples' representatives are required to privide good governance on the affairs of our country. Good governance is a governance which is effective, efficient and transparent. In such governing the principle of 'all-inclusive' is adopted. No body is excluded.

Then how the chairperson of a political party has talked in terms of wiping out the opponents? It is a negative mindset which looks upon the people as mere voters and subjects and not as people who have elected them their representatives. Smt. Sonia's statement is in a very bad taste. It instigates party workers to treat elections as a battle which has to be won and to win it all opponents are to be wiped out. It is certainly not good English. She could have said it in a better way by using some good words.

Rule or Govern Mr. Vajpayee!!

Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee has asked his partymen to learn from left how to get re-elected. The purpose of re-election for him is to rule. In this context he said, "People praised our work but did not renew their mandate to rule."

I don't agree with you Mr. Vajpayee that the purpose of getting elected and then re-elected is to rule. First, getting re-elected is not the end but means to achieve the end, which is providing good governance. Second, people elect their representatives and not their rulers. Third, people want their representatives to collectively govern the affairs of the nation in an effective, efficient and transparent manner.

The art to getting re-elected is not aping the left but providing better governance. The unfortunate part here is that majority of people and parties, left or right or middle, ask people to cast a negative vote against their opponent. If you think that BJP asked for a positive vote then I would say that it was asked in a negative manner. This negative aspect of BJP electioneering had hurt the people in some manner and result was the defeat of BJP.

It is further unfortunate that BJP has not been able to draw right lessons from its defeat. With this negative mindset, Mr. Bajpayee, BJP will never get re-elected.